Psycho Beach Party
SEPT 19 - 27, 2014
WRITTEN BY Charles Busch
DIRECTED BY Mike Werckle
Psycho Beach Party represented a return to form for The West Side Show Room– a wild burlesque send-up of Gidget and the Beach Party movies as only Charles Busch can deliver it. The cast included Rockford native David Causey as Chicklet's mom, Mrs. Forrest, and Pec Playhouse’s Glen Wiegert in a hilarious spin on surf guru Kanaka. Rockford University graduate Erin Farsté made her West Side Show Room debut in a tour de force performance as Chicklet Forrest.
Psycho Beach Party tells the story of teenage tomboy Chicklet who desperately wants to be part of a surf gang on Malibu Beach in 1963. Chicklet's mother Mrs. Forrest, a frightening 50's housewife in the vein of Mommie Dearest, forbids Chicklet to surf, but Chicklet is bound and determined. The only thing standing in her way is her tendency toward split personalities, including the sexually voracious dominatrix Anne Bowman!
Psycho Beach Party was presented at The West Side Show Room's original theater space at 410 Mulberry Street in Rockford, Illinois.
““But that’s not all that’s whirring in [Chicklet’s] brain. Beneath the surface of this innocent creature and seemingly simple epoch lurk psychosexual beats that can devour Cleveland in one bit, then turn around and eat Chicago.””
CAST & CREW
CAST
Kurtis Lawler - Yo Yo
Alex McIntyre - Nicky
Colton Thompson - Nicky
Mark A. West - Provoloney
Josh Hoover - Star Cat
Erin Farsté - Chicklet
Glen Wiegert - Kanaka
Kenyai O’Neal - Marvel Ann
Susie O’Dierno - Berdine
David Causey - Mrs. Forrest
Addison Clearwood - Bettina Barnes
CREATIVE STAFF
Set Design: Mike Werckle, Brandon Severing
Lighting Design: Brandon Severing
Fight Choreography: Mark West
Costumes/Props Supervisor: Susie O’Dierno
Produced and Directed by Mike Werckle
Stage Manager: Emily Marlow
Box Office/House Manager: Beth Edgerton
ARTWORK
RUNNING TIME
90 Minutes | No Intermission
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Adult Language and Situations
Map + Directions
Psycho Beach Party Program
CONTENT ADVISORY
The West Side Show Room believes in freedom of expression and we present all works in their entirety. We encourage people of all ages to expose themselves to a wide range of art, and to engage in critical discussions about the content they encounter. For specific information about the language, content, and effects in a particular production, please contact us.
